Sectional folder.



UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

SECTIONAL FOLDER.

Application filed August 25, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SHELLEY B. HU'rcH- INSON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Ypsilanti, in the county of lVashtenaw and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sectional.- Folders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to sectional folders designed for use by merchants and other business concerns for the purpose of increasing the volume of business.

It is the particular object of the invention to enable the merchants to offer a strong inducement to any prospective customers to enter into trade relations, this inducement being a premium given in advance of the purchase of any goods, but upon condition that goods to the value of a certain amount will subsequently be purchased. This premium is not given to the prospective purchaser directly by the merchant, but by an independent company with whom both the merchant and the customer enter into contract relation. Thus the sectional folder is in the nature of a three party contract together with a draft and reference slip, and the sections are so arranged as to be readily detached by each party, while the whole may be folded into convenient mailing size.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of the sheet before folding; Fig. 2 is a per-- spective view of the same folded ready for mailing.

My improved folder is formed preferably from a rectangular sheet, which is divided preferably by lines of perforations into a plurality of sections that may be readily detached from each other. One section A is in the nature of a draft drawn upon the company furnishing the premiums. A second section B is for the purpose of a reference slip, while three other sections C, D and E are contracts to be signed by the respective parties. Thus the section G is the companys agreement, the section D the merchants guarantee, and section E the customers acknowledgement. These sections are so arranged that the whole sheet may be folded into the dimensions of one of the sections C, D and E, the folds coming in line with the perforations in all of the sections, with exception of section A, which, in addition,

has a fold in the center thereof. Each of the sections C, D and E is further provided Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 14, 1909.

Serial No. 450,190.

with a detachable corner section, and these sections F, F and F 2 are divided by lines of perforations and in the folded position of the sheet are in registration with each other. All of thevarious sections of the sheet have marked thereon some common character or numeral by which they may be distinguished from other slips and reassembled when desired.

Inuse the sheets are distributed by the premium company to the various merchants. The merchant fills out the draft in each sheet in favor of some prospective new customer and signs the merchants guarantee, after which the sheet in its entirety is returned to the company. The company signs the companys agreement and then mails the sheet to the customer who, if he so desires, fills out thecustomers acknowledgment and indorses the draft. The customer may then present the sheet to the company and receive immediately the premium. The company retains the draft, the reference slip, and the companys agreement, while the merchants guarantee is returned to the customer and the customers acknowledgment is returned to the merchant. By the terms of the agreement the customer is bound to trade with the merchant, paying for his premium with bonds collected from'the merchant for that purpose, the merchant guarantees his goods and prices, and agrees to give bonds with each purchase, which are eventually used for paying for the premiums. The company also agrees to honor the merchants draft and to give premiums in exchange therefor. The corners of the sections may be torn off by the customer before returning the sheet with the draft, and it will be noticed that in folded position of the sheet all of these corners are in registration and may be torn off at once. These corner pieces are the equivalent of bonds and constitute a free start for the customer in his collection of bonds.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A folder comprising a plurality of sections adapted to be severed one from the other, one of said sections having a form of draft thereon, another having aform entitled as a reference slip thereon, and three of said sections having forms stating respectivelythe obligation of the parties to an agreement between three parties, and each of said last-mentioned sections having a detachable corner, said corners being so positioned in relation to each other that they may be simultaneously detached when the folder is in its folded position, and all of the sections of the folder and the detachable corners being provided with a common reference letter.

2. A folder comprising a rectilinear sheet having a plurality of sections adapted to be severed one from the other, said folder being longitudinally divided into two unequal sections, the larger of said sections being divided transversely into three substantially equal separable sections having forms stating respectively the obligation of the parties to an agreement between three parties, the smaller of said sections being two unequal sections, the larger of which is provided with a form for a draft and which is substantially twice the size of the smaller divided into 7 In testimony whereof I aifix my signature 7 in presence of two witnesses.

SHELLEY B. HUTOHINSON; Witnesses: I g

NELLIE KINsnLLA, HARRY W. GALVIN. 

